Thursday, July 22, 2010

I am so thrilled to have accumulated so many followers over the past few months! Thanks to you all for reading this nonsense and commenting! I ♥ to hear from you all!!

I have a couple different blogs and it seems as though they "others" are being neglected. So I have decided to impost this "baby blog" onto my "daily blog" and will be soley posting on that blog so please head on over to Lucky In Kentucky and follow me there!! Here is the direct link if you want to add it to your list of blogs to follow http://familyofgrants.blogspot.com/

Thanks again to all you loyal readers and writers of course!! What would a gal do without all these great blogs to follow!!

Of course I had to get crafty for our baby girl and mommy's sanity ;O)

I joined in on the closet divider craze

The before:

The after:

Being put to good use already!

I had a horrible time with some Mod Podge before so I think I redeemed myself!I think they turned out pretty cute!! I also papered the back of them all so that I can turn them around and use for the next sizes ;O)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I am feeling like this:At this point I am thankful there is only 1 in there ;o)

The past couple of days have been tough. Baby girl is lodged up in my ribs and has decided to stay there. That means sitting up straight=not so comfy. Walking/standing is good for not feeling the rib pressure but then my back is screaming! I am in love with my heating pad for the pain in my back and am even more in love with naps. Speaking of which it is time for one.

Your BabyBig news for baby's brain this week: It's starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius's brain cells. Other highlights this week:

Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—causing his or her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.

Baby is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he's chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7.

"I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom's uterus!" When your baby is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he's whittling away the hours looking around, checking out his rather dark, limited environs.

Your baby hasn't gained much weight or height this week, as most of his energy's been channeled to the brain. She weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears' Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!

Monday, July 12, 2010

VERSATILE: adj [ver-sa-tile]embracing a variety of subjects, fields, or skills; also : turning with ease from one thing to another

Here are the rules ...

1. Thank and link back to the award presenter ... THANK YOU, GRETCHEN!!! 2. Share 7 things about yourself ... {1} Married to the love of my life {2} Kicked cancer's sorry ass twice {3} I have lived in CA(4x), FL(1x), SC(x1), NC(x2), VA(x2), & KY(x3) {4} I love photography but never seem to find the time to play around with it {5} I love to decorate {6} I have some of the best family & friends anyone could ever ask for {7} Last but not least, I cannot wait for my baby girl to arrive!!! 3. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered ... I'm making a modification and sharing my 3 newest blog discoveries; this way you can actually take the time to go and check them out! Ashley over at For the Love of Shoes , here are some oldies I like Casablanca and

Sleep: This has been a hard subject the past week. With the potty breaks and full on having to wake up to switch sides because my hips are killing me, crazy dreams, and no longer able to sleep on my back, things are rough to say the least.

Best moment this week: 7 months down!

Movement: More and more! I love the feeling!

Food cravings: Nothing really. Food sounds icky.

Symptoms: Heartburn and exhaustion. Oh yes and a few crying spells this week! UGH

Gender: Beautiful baby Girl!!!

Labor Signs: Not for a while I hope! Keep on baking little one!!

Belly Button in or out? Think it will stay an innie

What I miss: Feeling well rested after sleeping.

What I am looking forward to: The showers coming up!

Weekly Wisdom: Hormones suck. Pregnancy hormones are disastrous.

Milestones: Last week before the big 30 weeks...that's right folks I could very well deliver in the 30's E (crossing fingers not in the 40's!)EEEEkkk

Friday, July 9, 2010

Squash week 1 of 4:Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:

Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!

Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).

And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.

This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

Baby's Growth and Development at 29 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby in the 29th week of pregnancy might be best described as long and strong!

* Your baby probably weighs almost 3 pounds. From crown to rump she is about 10 inches long, about the length of a large cucumber. * Your baby's activity probably keeps getting more frequent and stronger during the 29th week of pregnancy. Hold on — some of your baby's jabs even might take your breath away! * Your baby already might be within almost 3 inches of her birth length, although she still has weight to gain to fill out. * During the next 11 weeks, she might more than double or almost triple her current weight. Much of this weight gain will happen as she gains important weight under her skin.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

OKIE DOKIE so here goes my rant for the day. Honestly you can read it or leave it.

I really really want to get involved with this whole having a baby "sorority" there are so many things for preggo mommas and well daddy's to be too!

I want to take hospital tours.I want to take breastfeeding classes.I want to take a natural birth class.I want to go to prenatal yoga & aquatics.

The main thing preventing all these is hubby's new work schedule. HMPH!

No can do on the hospital tours or any type of classes. ALL of them are within his work schedule and since he just moved to a new shift in a new department it seems people are stingy with their hours and don't like to switch.

I can no longer make it to the aquatics classes I wanted to attend because we have 1 car and he has to be to work by 12 and the classes are too early to drop him off at work early & just late enough so that he would be late to work. GRRR.

There is no way that I am going to the birthing class alone. Let me repeat that NO WAY. Yes I know I am the one in labor but Nick is my support system and he needs to know just as much as I do about techniques for relaxation and things he can remind me to do or not do. As far as the breastfeeding classes...I think I can make these work. I don't have much of a problem going alone like I do for the natural birthing classes. I was hoping Nick would be able to join me just as support.

I am more or less venting about his new hours and lack of dinners with my wonderful husband. This is the 1st week with these hourse and I suppose I just have the "myhusbandhasacrappyshift blues"

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

For those of you who actually know me in person know that I am a planner. Some of you who know me through the bloggosphere may have figured that out by now and some of you may be oblivious to this whether or not you know me in real life or blog life.

Anyways the point of me reiterating this fact about myself is that when it comes down to my birthing "plan" I think I am going to try something new and fly by the seat of my pants or in this case my mesh panties.

I know that natural birth is not for everyone, including possibly myself. I know even more that I am fully capable of going au natural, it's just a matter of whether or not I may drive myself or my hubby to drinking during the process.

Here are a few things (I borrowed from Mrs. Kale)that I will continue to remind myself in the process of laboring my baby girl that I hope will help me make my mind up as I try this whole flying by the seat of my, oh whatever here it goes...

1. Unnecessary intensified labor/birth pain. If for some reason there is a complication with the epidural (it doesn't take, or it starts to work then stops) and you are forced to deliver naturally the pain is going to be much more intense because the epidural actually stops the natural flow of childbirth. The epidural slows down the natural process of birthing and it affects all the natural ingredients that your body supplies to preform while birthing. The epidural makes your body think that you're not in pain, it's numbs the parts that feel the contractions therefore causing the production of Endorphins & Oxytocin (2 key bodily chemicals used in birthing) to slow down or even stop. Endorphins are more powerful than any drug the hospital can give you and they are naturally produced in your brain. When you hear about people that have pain-free deliveries (though very few) you're hearing about something whose Endorphins took OVER completely. It's amazing what our little human bodies can do.

2. The drugs that make an epidural are a derivative of cocaine. The most common drugs found in an Epidural are Bupivacaine, Chloroprocaine, or Lidocaine all are a derivative of Caine drugs...DUN DUN DUN, COCAINE.....Other pain meds used during pregnancy, such as Demerol, Epinephrine, Fentanyl, Morphine, or Clonidine are drugs that are normally illegal. The other drugs, basically anything given to you in an IV does affect your baby. (It's not even a question of possibly affecting-it simply does) The doctors aren't required to tell you which drugs are in the Epidural but please note that Fentanyl & Bupivavaine are the worst for you and effect the baby the most.-So when you're first pregnant and you are handed that list of drugs you can and cannot take during your pregnancy from your doctor where on that list does it say that any of these are OK to be pumped into your body as well as your baby's?

3. Using an Epidural can possibly lead to Pitocin which can lead to c-section. The Epidural is proven to slow down the birth process and most times to raise blood pressure (because it affects your sympathetic nervous system in your spinal cord). When the birth process is slowed down your body doesn't progress at the rate that the hospital would like which will make them ask you if you'd like Pitocin, when you're in the craziest stages of labor you're likely to say yes. If/When they use Pitocin if you body doesn't progress more or something goes wrong they will ask you to do a c-section. Most likely they will give you a reason like "there could be infection", "the baby's heartbeat is dropping" etc. These reasons could totally be true but could have been avoided if the use of drugs was not a part of the labor.

4. Complications & Side Effects. I know that complications and side effects are not the NORM but let's face it people, it can happen. There are so many side effects to the drugs that could easily be avoided without them. You know how on commercials for drugs they list off very quickly in a high pitch voice all of the crap that can go wrong from taking them and you hear it and you're like "dang, that sounds worse than the initial problem?!" Yep, it's like that. Here are just some of the side-effects: nervousness, tingling around the mouth, tinnitus, tremor, dizziness, blurred vision, or seizures, followed by depression: drowsiness, loss of consciousness, respiratory depression and apnea. Long term effects: loss of perineal sensation and sexual function, neurological complications, backache (weeks to years), postpartum feelings of regret, loss of autonomy, fecal and urinary incontinence or bladder dysfunction (inability to urinate), & paresthesia ("pins and needles"). Side-effects on the baby: Direct drug toxicity, fetal distress/abnormal FHR (can lead to emergency cesarean), drowsiness at birth, poor sucking reflex, maternal fever (impeded thermoregulation from numb skin) leads to fetal hypothermia and neonatal, NICU workup (spinal tap, etc.), poor muscle strength and tone in the first hours, neonatal jaundice, decreased maternal-infant bonding, behavioral problems & hyperactivity up to seven years (suspected).

5. Epidurals and other pain drugs can cause complications in breastfeeding. Since the epidural is the most common drug during labor, it has shown a great effect on the baby and the baby's natural process after birth. (meaning the drug does cross over to the baby) The dulling of the baby's natural instinct can make it hard for the baby to latch and it can sometimes effect it for extended periods of time.

6. Epidurals directly effect the birthing position. Even though lying on your back is better for the doctor it is not necessarily better for labor or birth. Lying on your back is one of the WORST positions to be in while laboring & delivering your baby. The epidural (unless it's a walking-epidural which doesn't help as much as most would like it to) causes you do lay on your back unable to move or feel when your body is ready to push. The birth positions (other than lying on your back) can make you more comfortable and has been proven to shorten labor because your body is working with gravity.

7. Any drug that does reach the baby will need to be broken down by the baby's body. So even though you can handle the meds it doesn't mean your baby's body can too. Baby's that have Epidural or Pitocin births are more likely to be jaundice because the drugs reach their livers and a newborn liver cannot break down the drugs as easily as our livers can.

8. I want to be fully aware: of what point my body is and when I'm ready to push. Most of the time with Epidurals they have you hooked up to 100 different machines that actually tell you when you're having a contraction so you can push. I'd like to be active in my labor & delivery. I want to feel that sensation "I have to push now" I want to say those words. It's just really mind-blowing. Our bodies were created to do this and we are completely capable of making it work. I can only pray that I am strong enough to make it to that point.

9. I am not afraid of the pain in childbirth. The fear of pain is one of the things that can actually make birthing harder. When you're scared your body immediately heads to "fight or flight mode". This mode in your brain can start or stop Endorphins, Adrenaline & Oxytocin. Even fear of pain in other medical situations have a negative effect on how you & your body handle it. If you walk into childbirth thinking you're going to die from the pain you cause yourself more harm. Fear causes tension which causes your body to not function properly which causes more pain. It's a sad cycle.

***

Of course, you can have an Epidural and have a perfectly healthy birth & baby. Of course, it can go in smoothly with no problem and you can deliver on time without c-section. Of course, things can progress normally. Of course, the baby could possibly not have side effects from the drugs. But more times than not the things I've listed above can and will happen.

God willing I can have any type of birth that I want. Knowing I have battled cancer & kicked it's ass twice now empowers me so much to the point that I question that empowerment. Is it like a roller coaster? When you ride the biggest baddest one you have no fear? Until you are on the next roller coaster and all of a sudden you are overwhelmed with the fear you thought you had already conquered?

Monday, July 5, 2010

I have been doing a lot of research on the subject of vaccines. Nick and I have had a few discussions on the subject and have decided tha we will going down the delayed vaccination route hence this blog.CDC Guidlines

The MMR plan looked a bit like this...Mumps – 15 moRubella – 27 moMeasles – 39 moBooster – age 5Until I found this

*The MMR vaccines are no longer split up into 3 different shots. How my heart bleeds for Merck! We have chosen to wait until Brigglsey is over 3 to get the MMR shot.However, if there is an outbreak in my area of any of the 3 diseases, We will consider vaccinating immediately. Hopefully Merck will get their crap together before she is 3 and we can start the split up plan!!

I like the plan. She will get everything that is needed and her system won't get overloaded.

Just as a side note-I know we have 12 years until the HPV shot is recommended and that means 12 years for God only knows what to happen and what type of regulations to be put on this vaccine, but we are strongly against this vaccine as well as other new vaccines.

So there we have it folks-an alternative vaccination plan that we feel will be the best for our daughter...sure hope the pediatricians agree!

Your Baby *Last week as an eggplant!*As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she's doing). Other highlights this week:

Your baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it's fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as she has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We'll be here all week.)

Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they'll most likely change soon. Sorry.

Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

While we were visiting family in VA we were fortunate enough to make a trip out to the Bou Scout Camp Nick attended for over 5 years as a kid. I had always heard stories of the place and the camp rituals, such as being "Tapped Out" into the Order of the Arrow. During this tradition a select few boys are "tapped out" by "indians" that ride in on canoes. Anyway to make a long story short, we decided to head up there so I could see what all this was about! I feel so fortunate to have experienced a piece of Nick's childhood!! While we were there I got my first three, yes, THREE stranger comments!!!

The first one was more or so overheard rather than a direct comment...But a little boy scout was talking to his friends while Nick was taking a picture and I heard the young boy say "Hey, that lady over there is pregnant!!" Then one responded yeah, if not I don't know what's going on!" My goodness adolescent boys are too funny., what did they think I swallowed a watermelon!

A guy was talking to us as we waited in line to get into the trading post to get our FRITO PIE'S and he asked if we were picking our boy up today. I just looked at Nick like what are we supposed to say!!! I think I was more baffled that he thought I had a child at 12. Anyways he then proceeded to ask when I was due. Nice guy he was but a little too curious for my liking, what did he want, our whole life story?

Then after we enjoyed our 5 course meal of chili, cheese, and chips we were walking to the campfire and a guy holds his belly and asks boy scout or girl? Nick and I both chuckled and just said girl!

Maybe I just haven't been out enough in public to have too many comments, but goodness the day I hit my 3rd tri I got 3!!! I have to say I secretly enjoyed them all, no matter how random they were ;O)